


Tony Your Self-Esteem Issues Are Showing

by Rosae



Series: Frostironstrange Works [2]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avenger Loki (Marvel), Dating Does Not Fix Everything But A Little Bit Of Love Helps, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Humor, Good Loki (Marvel), Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Tony, M/M, Multi, Self-Esteem Issues, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Has Self-Esteem Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 22:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15399222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosae/pseuds/Rosae
Summary: Secretly Tony was a bit in love with Stephen and Loki. But wistful daydreaming aside, the two of them had gotten weird lately, always asking him about his day and offering help. They spent so much time with him, almost as much as they spent with one another, and they kept doing little nice things for him. He knew it could only mean one logical thing.“I think Loki and Dr. Strange are planning to kill me.”





	Tony Your Self-Esteem Issues Are Showing

Loki and Stephen had been dating for a year now. Not too longer after Loki had been forced to join the Avengers, he and Stephen had meet on decently friendly terms when Stephen had requested the help of the Avengers in a matter that was both magical and super-villiany in nature. The two magic users had done nothing but snipe at each other for the entire adventure and by the end of it, Clint had found them making out against a wall with bloodstains still present. Thor had given Stephen a shovel talk and somehow Loki had gotten Wong’s approval and the two of them had been dating in a remarkably health manner ever since.

Really, nobody was quite sure how two relatively unstable people were able to work together so well, but they pulled it off. They made time for one another, resolved arguments maturely (mostly), and while they enjoyed their debating they seemed to enjoy sickeningly sweet talk just as much. Date night for them was every other Thursday evening and it had gotten to the point where villains would carefully keep track of said date night for fear of incurring their combined wrath for interrupting it. Loki knew every kind of tea that Stephen liked and always made him a cup in the mornings and nobody could calm Loki down as quickly and as masterfully as Stephen could.

It was impressive to say the least. 

Tony considered himself at least friendly with the two of them, Loki was always polite to him and more often then not willing to give him a hand without any dramatics. Stephen and Tony also had nice quiet moments together where Stephen would teach Tony some magic trick or another even if Tony never got it. Sometimes Loki would make his favorite coffee for him in the morning on one of his bad days (and it pained him more then he’d like to admit just how much the small gesture meant to him), and Stephen was always more then happy to pick a fight with Steve when the man got a bit too Captain America. 

That wasn’t even mentioning how the two of them had been there for him when he and Pepper had broken up. The whole team had helped support him through that particular rough patch, but it had been Loki who (despite at the time refusing physical contact with anyone other then Stephen) had allowed Tony to cry into his shoulder for hours on end and Stephen who had set about making sure that Tony couldn’t resort to alcohol during this weak period. He’d only made it through the event sober thanks to the two of them, and without them he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have made everything a thousand times worse. 

So he considered himself on good terms with both of them. Or at least, he had. Until about a month ago, when something started to change. It had been small at first, Loki had started making him coffee every morning instead of just some of them. Stephen had started spending more time in the tower, at first he had been helping Tony out with a magical alarm system for people teleporting in and out of the tower, but then even after the project was complete he just sort of, hung around. Sure he spent some of the time with Loki, but he’d also spend time just down in Tony’s workshop talking to Tony. Loki had started coming down to the workshop more too, often to play with the bots since he’d taken quite a liking to them. Secretly Tony was a bit in love with how he treated them like kids, the bots loved Loki too. But wistful daydreaming aside, the two of them had gotten weird lately, always asking him about his day and offering help. There was really only one conclusion he could draw from the whole thing. 

“I think Loki and Dr. Strange are planning to kill me.” 

Bucky blinked at Tony slowly, clearly processing the statement and judging him for it. Okay, maybe coming to the ex-assassin who had killed his parents wasn’t his best plan, but Steve would brush him off and Bucky and Tony had actually gotten quite close during the periods where Tony was working on his arm. They’d even discussed relationships together after Sam and Bucky started dating (somehow, those two had a weird relationship where they’d roast each other to hell and back one minute but also Tony had found them together on just about every surface in the tower). After a moment more of silence Bucky sighed, stood up, reached over and ruffled Tony’s hair and then just walked out of the room while Tony watched him go with a stunned silence. What the hell was that meant to mean? Was Bucky dying? Was Bucky resigned to Tony’s impending death? Okay, time for a new plan, the ex-assassin was not going to be of any help.

“Loki and Dr. Strange are probably planning to kill me and Bucky wasn’t any help.”

T’Challa looked up from his tablet where he’d been reviewing some paperwork to look at Tony with wide eyes. It was like seven am in the morning, so maybe Tony could’ve eased him into that a little more, but today Loki had made him coffee AND breakfast and if that didn’t scream poison Tony didn’t know what did. T’Challa regarded Tony for a moment before putting down the tablet.

“And what has lead you to this conclusion?” 

“They’ve been acting weird! Yesterday Stephen was in the workshop for like four hours, and when I asked him why he said ‘I just enjoy spending time with you Tony’. You’d think that dating the god of lies would’ve made him a better liar, I’m not five years old so I don’t know who he thinks he was fooling with that line. This morning too, Loki made me breakfast, clearly an attempt to poison me. Maybe he’s been sneaking some sort of build up poison into my coffee? Hey JARVIS-” T’Challa interrupted him before he could finish that thought. 

“Tony, a breath please.” Right. Breathing. He should do that instead of this weird panic thing he had going on. After he calmed himself down a little, T’Challa spoke again.

“I don’t believe that either Loki or Dr. Strange wish you harm. Have you considered alternative explanations for their behavior? Perhaps they really do enjoy spending time with you and want to get to know you better?” 

That was a nice fantasy, but T’Challa hadn’t even finished talking before Tony had dismissed the idea. Nobody liked spending time with Tony, not even his own parents enjoyed spending time with Tony. People tolerated him, oh yes, they’d tolerate him because he made himself invaluable to them, but nobody liked spending time with him. Clearly T’Challa was stuck in different reality and wasn’t going to be any help here. Tony was on his own for this.

“Well this was a really nice chat, thanks for the help T’Challa, see you around!” Tony said, media smile on as he left the room quickly.

T’Challa sighed as Tony left, glancing at Sam who had entered just as Tony left. One look said all he needed to say. 

“Give the long face, I’m going to assume Tony tried to get your help with the whole Loki-Strange thing?”

“He is convinced they are out to kill him. I worry about his self-esteem if he really so unable to consider that others may enjoy being near him.”

Sam nodded sagely. “Yeah, Bucky told me about it afterwards. Good news is he’d heard from Natasha that since today is Loki and Dr. Strange’s anniversary they were planning to ask Tony out properly today. Either he’s going to figure out that they’re into him or he’s going to kill one of them at least.” 

T’Challa sighed again, feeling like a broken record. The two of them sat in silence, awaiting the pending disaster. 

Tony had retreated to his workshop, hoping that he’d be safe there at least. Unfortunately before he could put it in lockdown, he discovered the Loki had already gotten to his bots. 

Dumm-e was holding a little paper envelope, tastefully addressed to him (and a bit crumbled because Tony hadn’t taken it at first so Dumm-e had smacked him with it. The envelope had requested his presence at some address in about two hours. So this was how he died. Sure, he could just not show up, but that would probably just make his death even worse. 

At six pm, Tony promptly left the house, at six-thirty he discovered the address lead to a little restaurant where he was shown to a private room and at six-thirty-two he entered the private room expecting a red room sort of set-up only to find two magic users and a cozy table set up with three seats, wine and dinner ready.

“I don’t understand.”

Loki moved, stepping towards Tony slowly as if he were approaching a wild animal. Tony held still, unwilling to flee without answers. It took until Loki was two paces away for Tony to consider that maybe he should run, but then Loki had a hand on his shoulder and was guiding him into the third chair. Tony went, more confused then anything now. 

“What is going on here?”

Stephen and Loki exchanged a look and Tony had never felt more lost. It was Loki that spoke. 

“We would like to date you, our apologies if that wasn’t clear. You seemed at least somewhat receptive to both of our advances, if we’ve crossed a line or made you uncomfortable…” 

“Wait. What. You two want to date me?” They both nodded.

“But I mean, you’re dating each other. Not that like, polyamory isn’t a thing, but you both already have someone wonderful. Why would you want me to ruin that?” It came out a lot more honest then Tony was planning, but he was taken off-guard and he didn’t really know how to handle this.

Another worried glance exchanged, Stephen reached out and carefully took one of Tony’s hands in some sort of silent agreement between him and Loki.

“Tony… You wouldn’t ruin anything. Yes, Loki and I are dating one another and we are both very dearly in love with one another, but we are in love with you too. It was something we realized and spoke about with one another about a month ago. You are clever with a wit to match Loki, but not only that you are kind beyond belief. Even when Loki was trying to take over the damn world your first reaction was to offer him a drink. You’re always in motion, always changing and improving, never quite content to sit still and it’s a beautiful thing to behold.” Loki took over as Stephen seemed a little overwhelmed with words. 

“Already you make both of us happier just by being in our life. You don’t treat either of us as an other, conversing with you is an enjoyable experience instead of the slog of trying to talk to practically any other mortal, and you add a wonderful sort of life to everything you touch. Just look at your bots, they are made of code and metal and yet they have more life and soul to them then many humans do just by having been built by you. You bring that bright, wonderful life with you in everything you do, and perhaps it is greedy but I cannot help but want that just as I want Stephen’s steady presence. We want you just as we want one another. Is there any chance you could want us in return?”

Tony had to take in a long breath to stop from crying because really how awful would that be. It took a few deep breaths before he could speak. 

“I’m not. I’m not good at relationships. They don’t end well.” A warning. A plea. Who knows. 

“It will take work, every relationship does, but we are more then willing to do that work if you are. Both of us understand how much your work means to you, and we don’t expect you to change for us. We want you for who you are Tony.” It was Stephen, with Loki nodding in agreement and it was more then Tony could handle. He had to quickly move to wipe the tears from his eyes. 

“Okay.” Deep breath in. “If you guys, if you two are sure then I’m willing to give it a try. I can’t promise.” Deep breath. “I can’t promise I’ll be any good at the relationship though, I have a bad track record you know. But.” Another breath. “I’d be willing to give it my best for you two.” 

Then Stephen and Loki were both smiling, bright, wonderful things. Tony didn’t know what he’d done to deserve this, but in that moment he thought maybe, just maybe this would work out okay.


End file.
